Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Planetary eyepieces?


Guest

Recommended Posts

At the moment I am using Explore Scientific 82 degree 4.7 mm and 6.7 mm eyepieces for planetary observing.They are really not bad at all. I tend to use C8 and 100mm ED refractor on a manual alt/az mount ,so the wider field helps.I am looking for genuine improvements in sharpness of image when viewing planets and have been wondering what eyepieces would give an improvement.I was thinking of Televue Plossl's perhaps.Still wider than traditional Orthoscopics.Any suggestions or experiences would be great. I have tried Pentax XF's gave a nice image ,but with ghosting reflections for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's the Pentax XWs, and Delos EPs of course. These are my weapon of choice for planets in my C8. Not cheap of course, but outstanding. The long eye relief really helps increase the viewing comfort. I did have the XF8.5mm and sold it to fund a Delos 8mm. The XF was very good indeed, and I did not notice much in the way of ghosting myself. The Delites are supposed to be cracking EPs as well. If 50 deg FOV is enough, the Vixen SLVs are great. I get Pentax XW-like performance for much less, albeit at a considerably smaller FOV. I use the 5mm and 15mm for airline travel, together with a 24mm MaxVision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In terms of pure optical quality, I think you might be hard pushed to find a meaningful improvement over the ES 82's that you currently use unless you are prepared to move to orthoscopics and cope with around 50% of the apparent field and eye relief.

I use Pentax XW's and Ethos and they are excellent but I suspect the differences between them and the ES 82's are going to be marginal. I think the same would apply to TV plossls as well :icon_scratch:

Additional aperture and good seeing conditions will make far more difference to your results than these sort of eyepiece swaps I suspect.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, John said:

Additional aperture and good seeing conditions will make far more difference to your results than these sort of eyepiece swaps I suspect.

 

:thumbsup:

Just a side note, if your newly sold 7mm BGO was clean and not a dud, and you didn't see any edge over 6.7mm ES, my very blant comment is that you wouldn't see any difference betwwen the ES and any EPs mentioned above either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seeing is indeed the main issue. Only when seeing is near perfect do I see any difference between EPs. However, viewing comfort is an issue. More comfortable EPs (and a more comfortable observing chair), mean you can sit at the EP for much longer and wait for those fleeting moments of better seeing. If the ES EP are comfortable for you (eye relief way too short to my liking), then movng to an XW does not make sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, YKSE said:

:thumbsup:

Just a side note, if your newly sold 7mm BGO was clean and not a dud, and you didn't see any edge over 6.7mm ES, my very blant comment is that you wouldn't see any difference betwwen the ES and any EPs mentioned above either.

I am beginning to think that the seeing where I live North of London is really starting to impact on the quality of observational astronomy.Therefore reducing the effectiveness of any quality eyepieces. So you may be correct YKSE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a 6.7mm ES 82 and it is a sharp eyepiece, more scatter than orthos but an excellent one.Its used in a Heritage 130mm dob and was checked in my own scopes first-its VG.

Thinking out of the box a bit now...

The ability to "catch the seeing" with a zoom can be a big benefit, I use one all the time. They are escp good when seeing is fussy. Low power views in your C8 will still show more fine detail than the 100mm f9(?) and if your using 130x mag in the frac then something like a Baader zoom at low to mid power, starting at about 84x just might be the ticket.

Even if this zoom isn't "technically" better than orthos,XW's etc its ability to quickly cope with the seeing could outweigh any advantages the other eyepieces have. I wouldn't get rid of your other eyepieces though, the zoom is a nice complimentary eyepiece.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're on a budget, the original Vixen LV line is quite affordable used.  A 10mm just went for $42 on CN classifieds.  I've been using a 9mm version for nearly 20 years as a mid-power eyepiece.  It easily matches the Pentax XL line for clarity, contrast, and edge to edge sharpness.  It's only 50 degrees, but that's not so important for planets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Pentax XW's are jewels that can keep up with some of the best eyepieces around, but as with all wide angle eyepieces, they do exhibit some lateral colour. If you want a really noticeable improvement in planetary performance, I can think of nothing better than a binoviewer loaded with a couple of orthoscopics!

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have found Delos and Pentax XW as very good planetary eyepieces as well as Radians of which I had quite a few. However any improvement will only be very subtle indeed and all do not come free with cornflakes. I now mainly use Ethos but only due to the large field of view in my biggest scope. I do still hold on to the Delos and Radians though for my shorter scopes in the 6mm and less F/Ls

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/1/2017 at 10:25, mikeDnight said:

The Pentax XW's are jewels that can keep up with some of the best eyepieces around, but as with all wide angle eyepieces, they do exhibit some lateral colour. If you want a really noticeable improvement in planetary performance, I can think of nothing better than a binoviewer loaded with a couple of orthoscopics!

Mike

To be honest, even generic plossls when used in a binoviewer greatly improve the ability to discern fine details on solar system objects.  It's amazing how much easier and relaxing observing objects with two eyes is compared to cyclops mode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.